Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Lee Goldberg; Black Wings Has My Angel

Ed here: I'm about halfway through McGrave and it's dazzling. I'm running out of brfeath just reading it. Congratulations to Lee on this Bookgasm review.

McGrave

by BRUCE GROSSMAN on FEBRUARY 14, 2012 · 1 COMMENTIt’s e-books like MCGRAVE that are great for tablet reading. Lee Goldberg’s novella is just 70 pages of awesomeness. Think of it as some sort of lost ’80s action film — or both a love letter to and parody of the genre, hitting every beat you would see in those bygone films.

The title refers to John “Tidal Wave” McGrave, a cop who plays by his own set of rules. (Like there were any other kind back in the halcyon days of action cinema.) The story follows our hero as he stumbles upon a house robbery gone wrong, then goes to Berlin, where he’s a full-on fish out of water.

All the while, McGrave — who calls himself a living weapon — just barrels through the plot while having no regard that he is not even a cop anymore, due to earlier actions. The story is literally just one giant action piece from page one, with no let-up, so you don’t stop reading until it’s done. You’re never sure how more over-the-top it can get.

Goldberg seems to have his tongue planted firmly in cheek throughout, with the added bonus that there is no budget to worry about while you write. MCGRAVE is a super-breezy and easy read which will delight those who miss the men’s adventure series of old. Hopefully, Goldberg can continue in this vein since this work alone has me rethinking my anti-Kindle position. —Bruce Grossman

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. Now this sounds good. Screen Daily is reporting that Anna Paquin, Elijah Wood and Tom Hiddleston has joined a crime flick called BLACK WINGS HAS MY ANGEL, based on a pulp novel by Elliott Chaze.

Adapted by Barry Gifford and to be directed by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa, this story is about an ex-con who robs an armored car with the help of a call-girl. There's apparently a whole lot of darkness in this project, with nobody being devil-free if you catch my drift.

The novel has been described as Jim Thompson-esque, which means this could be friggin' awesome-sauce.

Not sure who is playing what in this adaptation, other than it's a pretty good guess that Paquin will be the prostitute unless Elijah Wood is really wanting to go against type. Hiddleston is proving to be a very welcome screen presence and I think this one has all the makings of a quality project. Can't wait to see how it turns out!